Tainted Roses
by against.theWIND
Summary: Rose Weasley starts her first year at Hogwarts and even though she's surrounded by her cousins, she feels the weight of house grudges bearing down upon her. What will she do when she befriends a Slytherin? Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

_When all the world's gone, will it only be us? _

It was the first day of Hogwarts for Rose Weasley and she would finally be able to join her older cousins at the notorious school. As she waved both her parents good bye at King's Cross, Rose, with her luggage in hand, boarded the Hogwarts Express. She looked around expectantly for her cousins, but she didn't know which compartment they would be in. However, she quickly found an empty compartment for herself and placed her luggage beside her in the train.

With a sigh, Rose relaxed into her seat. She was finally going to Hogwarts. Standing up, she moved her luggage to the left of her so she could sit beside the window and look outside at the rolling countryside as the journey went on. However, the moment she stood up, the train started with a small jerk. Rose quickly sat down, though she almost banged her head on the overhead compartment. Holding onto to the edge of her seat, though, she was sure that she had her balance back again. Well, who didn't when they were sitting?

Looking up, Rose saw that someone had opened the door during her clumsy seat changing. It was a boy who looked to be around her age. He gave a wide smirk at her, apparently amused by her fumblings. "Mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Uh, sure," Rose said reluctantly. She didn't want her first meeting with someone to be like this. Rose had hoped that she would at least last until she got to Hogwarts before anyone saw how clumsy she was. Rose then took to looking out the window like she had planned, not wanting to talk to the newcomer.

He also looked out the window, sitting across from Rose, but he glanced at her every so often. Rose could tell he was, but she refused to glance back. "First time?" he asked.

Rose looked up at him and was surprised to see he was staring right at her. "Um, yeah. What about you?" Well, if he was going to start the conversation, Rose couldn't very well be rude to him.

"Nope. Second."

"Ah." Rose looked out the window again, not knowing what else to say to the boy. But then, a question dawned on her and she turned back to him. "So… What house are you in?"

"Slytherin." He smirked.

_Well that goes any new friendship, _Rose thought. "Mmm," was all she managed to be able to say, though, and Rose again turned towards the window. They were going at a steady pace now and London was probably far away by now.

"Houses before names. Tsk tsk," he said, shaking his head. He was probably smiling, but Rose wasn't going to satisfy her curiosity by looking at him. "I'm Tristan, by the way… If you were going to ask."

Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes and looked up at him again. He was smiling. "Rose," she said with a sigh.

"Such a lovely name. Well, I'm glad to meet you, Rose." Tristan flashed her another smile before looking out the window once more.

Rose joined him in their watch of the countryside. She just wanted to get to Hogwarts. Rose didn't want to sit in a compartment in the Hogwarts Express with some Slytherin. She knew that she was already getting sucked into the house grudges of Hogwarts that have lasted for centuries, but she didn't care. So what if she was a cliché? After all the things she had heard ever since she was little from her father and her cousins, how could she refuse but conform? But then again, they said that Slytherins were nasty and deserved to be hated from their actions, but all Rose could be annoyed about when it came to Tristan was his smile. Why did he smile so much?

Not before long, the compartment door opened again. It was someone coming around with treats, but of course, Rose didn't have any money for that. She did have a few sickles in her pocket, but she knew better than to spend them on sweets. However, Tristan soon reached into his pocket to get out some sickles for the lady. She handed him a chocolate frog. "Thank you dear," she said before departing again.

"Didn't you want something?" Tristan asked. He still had the chocolate frog in his hand, still wrapped in its package.

"No, I'm fine," Rose lied. Now that she saw the chocolate frog, she did quite want one, but it was too late anyway. The lady was gone.

"If you say so," Tristan said. Then, he put the chocolate frog in the bag beside him.

"Aren't you going to eat that?"

"Not in front of you." He chuckled as if the answer was obvious.

"Oh."

No matter what Rose did, she kept being wrong about this boy. He clearly couldn't be all that bad. All he did was smile and be polite to her. Could Rose really be so quick to judge him?

Just then, though, the compartment door opened once more. Couldn't Rose ever get some peace and quiet?

"Hey, Tristan!" a boy exclaimed.

"Hey, Tommy." Tristan sighed a little, but the new boy didn't seem to notice. He was too excited.

"Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you."

"I figured you had better company or you would have found me before now." It sounded like Tristan was making something up, but Rose couldn't be sure. He probably just couldn't find them or didn't want to move once the train had started to move.

"Well, here you are. What are you doing with _her?" _Tommy asked with a disgusted glance in Rose's direction. He clearly recognized the trademark 'Weasley hair' Rose had. It didn't help that it was also wavy, either. It was hard to miss.

"What does it matter?" Tristan asked.

Tommy narrowed his eyes lightly at Tristan. "I don't know what's up with you after the summer, but let's get out of here. Dante and Brent are waiting a few compartments down."

"Okay." Tristan sighed slightly as he stood up and picked up his bag. The sigh was covered by him getting up off the seat, so Rose couldn't tell if he wanted to leave or not. "See you later." Tristan said to Rose as he left the compartment. Rose couldn't help but wonder if she had actually seen him wink at her as he closed the door behind him or if it was a trick of the light.


	2. Chapter 2

_Tell me we can make it. Tell me we can last. _

When the train arrived at Hogwarts, Rose was already in her school robes. They were black and they were plain, but at least Rose felt like everyone else now. She would surely be able to see her cousins at school and she could forget about Tristan. Just thinking about even possibly being friends with him was too impossible. Rose didn't know what house she would be in once she did get sorted, but she knew that she couldn't be in Slytherin.

As Rose exited the train with her luggage, she heard someone yelling for all the first years to go to the boats. Well, that was her all right. Rose followed the rest of the younger students towards the boats, while the rest of the students went in the horseless carriages. At least she would be somewhere without Tristan and his friends.

Rose got into a boat with a pale, blonde girl with thin, messy hair and a plump boy with short, clean cut brown hair. They both looked nervous to be going to Hogwarts, just like Rose. Well, it looked like she was in the same boat as them. Rose suppressed a chuckle at this thought. Her humour was too lame sometimes. _Of course _she was in the same boat as them.

As they travelled across the lake, Rose wondered why they couldn't take the carriages. May be it was a part of the experience, though, and Rose enjoyed it while she could.

The lake was rather huge, but soon enough, they reached the shore again and were a lot closer to Hogwarts than before. Rose looked up, seeing the lights that were on inside the castle. It looked to be so warm inside and Rose couldn't wait to get into the Great Hall. Well, she thought that was where they were going, at least. And afterwards, she would be able to go up to her room. Yes, she would have a _room!_ The thought was exciting for Rose as she was used to her little brother bugging her most of the time when she was in her room. But Rose at least hoped that her dorm-mates wouldn't be rude with her. They probably wanted as much privacy as she did.

As Rose and the two other students walked up to the castle, she wondered if she would see them again. They might get sorted into different houses and never talk again. Rose didn't know them very well and she didn't have any friends at Hogwarts except for her older cousins, who would probably ignore her most times, and possibly Tristan. But Tristan was a big no-no. He couldn't be her friend.

Rose cleared her throat before speaking, since it felt dry from being silent and pensive for all that time since talking to Tristan. "So… What're your names?" she asked the two as she walked towards Hogwarts with them.

The boy spoke first. "Trevor," he said simply. "What's yours?"

"Rose." Rose smiled at him, but it was more gentle than the smiles Tristan had given her before. She then turned towards the blonde girl, hoping that she wasn't too shy to speak.

The girl apparently noticed that Rose was looking at her, so she finally answered the question. "Ma-Matilda."

Just then, they reached the entrance to Hogwarts. Rose could already hear some people inside. She wondered if the rest of the students were already inside eating their food.

When the first years entered Hogwarts, though, a professor was there to meet them. She didn't look too old and she had a smile on her face. "Welcome to Hogwarts, everyone. Please follow me." The woman then walked through the Entrance Hall, with a trail of eleven year olds behind her, and entered a side chamber. "Please wait here for a few moments." Then, she left.

Rose looked around her at the other first years. There were many of them, including Trevor and Matilda. Rose was about to stand closer to them when she noticed two of her cousins: Albus and Roxanne. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she made her way over to them. Apparently they had found each other on the train or the boats because they were both chatting to each other. They turned when they heard Rose, though, and greeted her with two wide smiles.

"There you are!" Roxanne exclaimed. "We wondered where you were and if you were even on the train."

" I didn't know where you guys were," Rose explained. "How long do you think we have to wait in here?"

Albus opened his mouth to speak, but then the woman entered the room again. "Please follow me."

Albus and Rose both shrugged and Roxanne giggled when she saw them do it at the same time. However, as the students followed the woman outside of the room and across the Entrance Hall once more, it was silent. Either everyone was too scared to talk or they were observing their new surroundings, but no one spoke another word.

As the woman opened a large pair of doors, Rose could see students behind her, sitting at long tables. But when Rose entered the room, she couldn't keep her eyes on the tables. She looked up to see the night sky above her. At first, she thought that there was no roof, but then she realized that this was the room she had read about in Hogwarts: A History. It was a book that explained a lot of things about Hogwarts. Rose didn't find it all that interesting, but her mother had insisted that she read it before going to school, so Rose did. But once was definitely enough.

Rose wondered if Tristan was already there, but she attempted to dismiss any thoughts about him once more. He might have been there or might have not, but Rose decided not to care anymore. She was about to get sorted, probably, so she had other things on her mind. She doubted that she would get put into Slytherin, but Rose wondered what of the other three houses the Sorting Hat would think would be best for her. Rose thought that it could be Gryffindor, because most of her family was in Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw was also an option. Her older cousin, Lucy, was in Ravenclaw and there was no shame in that house.

The woman spoke again, though, taking Rose out of her thoughts. "When I call your name, you will step forward and come and sit on this stool. Then, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head-" She held up the Sorting Hat in front of her to show the students what it looked like. "-and you will be sorted." The woman then placed the hat back on the stool and took out a piece of parchment from the right pocket of her robes. She unfolded it and straightened it out so she could read it properly. "Alex Cunningham!" she exclaimed.

A young boy then walked towards the stool nervously. The woman picked up the hat, allowing him to sit down on the stool. When he did, she placed the hat on his head, covering his eyes and half of his head. It was far too big for him. After a few moments, the Sorting Hat pronounced the right house for Alex. "Gryffindor!"

Everyone cheered, but Rose could hear more cheering from a certain table in the Great Hall. It was probably the Gryffindor table.

After Alex, there were many more students to be called before it was Rose's turn. She watched each of them walk forward and get sorted, awaiting her turn patiently with her two cousins.

"Claire Danvers."

"Slytherin!"

Rose watched Claire Danvers as she joined the Slytherins at their table. She thought she caught a glimpse of Tristan cheering too, but she couldn't' be sure if it was him. He was pretty far down the table and Rose wasn't close enough to see if it was indeed Tristan.

"Matilda Edgecombe."

"Ravenclaw."

Rose sighed, hoping that she would be in Ravenclaw with Matilda. After all, she was one of the first friends Rose made at Hogwarts, even if Matilda was a little shy.

"Bianca Fairchild."

"Slytherin!"

Rose decided not to watch Bianca as she nearly pranced over to the Slytherin table. She knew that she would be too tempted to look for Tristan and Rose just wanted to forget about him. _We can never be friends. It would never work out,_ she told herself, but that blasted 'hope' kept creeping up on her. Why were humans given hope anyway? It only ever led to disappointment.

"Trevor Knight."

"Hufflepuff!"

Rose had hoped that Trevor and Matilda could have at least been in the same house, but now all Rose could do was hope that she was in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Even if her cousins were in Gryffindor, at least Rose would have a friend in one of the other houses.

"Albus Potter."

"Gryffindor!"

_Well, of course,_ Rose thought. She knew that Albus would be in Gryffindor more than anyone else. It was a given, especially with the way he acted.

There were a few more students called, but Rose didn't pay attention to them. She was getting too anxious for her own turn, the closer it got to the end of the list.

Finally, it was Rose's turn. "Rose Weasley!" the woman called. Rose quickly walked up towards the stool and sat down. The hat fell down on her face, just like it did on Alex, and Rose was completely in the dark. She wanted to take the hat off and throw it beside her, but she knew that this was a part of getting sorted. She closed her eyes for a moment as she listened to the voice that seemed to be in her head. It was arguing about where to put her and seemed to be stuck between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Rose didn't care before where she was placed, but she suddenly had a feeling that she didn't want to be in Ravenclaw. _Gryffindor… Please be Gryffindor… _she found herself thinking. Just then, her own thoughts were echoed in a louder voice. "Gryffindor!" The hat was taken off her head quicker than Rose could open her eyes and the woman smiled at her before gesturing that she should join the other Gryffindors at their table.

Rose got up and walked quickly towards the table, finding a seat beside Albus. Albus had found the rest of their cousins, James, Fred and Molly, who were sitting across from them. "Hey," Rose greeted, but everyone was watching the next person get sorted. Before Rose could look up to see who it was, Roxanne joined them on Albus' other side. There were only two other students who got sorted before the Headmaster announced the beginning of the feast.

Food appeared on their empty plates as Rose looked around at the other Gryffindors at the table. She was with family again, but at least Rose knew that it was where she belonged. Even though she was friends with Trevor and Matilda, she knew that she didn't belong in their houses, and she _definitely _didn't belong at the Slytherin table with Tristan. No, this was where she belonged. This was where Rose felt at home.


	3. Chapter 3

_Even without your voice, I can still feel your presence around me. _

Rose woke up the next morning to the sound of her dorm-mates opening and closing their trunks. She rubbed her eyes for a moment before sitting up and swinging her legs to the side of the bed. Opening the curtain around her four-poster bed, Rose stepped out of her confined space. She wondered what time it was. Her dorm-mates seemed to be in a hurry.

Finally, one of them spoke to her. It was her cousin, Roxanne. "You'd better hurry, or else you'll be late for our first class," she said to Rose as she passed her, walking straight into the bathroom.

Rose looked at her watch. Roxanne was right. Rose only had twenty minutes before Transfiguration. She let out a small groan before realizing that it was breakfast or class and Rose had to choose class. Well, hopefully she would be able to get a big lunch.

Walking over to her trunk, she got out her clothes. Rose felt half asleep as she got ready for her first day at Hogwarts and hoped that she would wake up soon. Even as she sat in Transfiguration beside Roxanne, though, Rose was tired. She let out a lengthy yawn, which resulted in the Transfiguration professor calling upon Rose.

"I take it this class is too boring for you?" she asked with her eyebrows raised at Rose.

The rest of the class hid their laughter quite poorly.

Rose didn't respond, but she was glad that she didn't have to because the professor seemed to dislike laughter even more than yawns. She instantly turned on the rest of the class, glaring at all of them, before assigning the homework for that evening. Rose couldn't help but wonder how much they would have been given if she hadn't yawned and the rest of the class hadn't giggled. Well, it was too late to be thinking about such things, because now Rose had to read two whole chapters. This was just too much.

As Rose walked to the next class with her cousins, she hoped to see Trevor or Matilda soon. She couldn't remember which houses she had class with in each lesson, but she knew that they shared classes with the different houses.

As Rose, Roxanne, Albus and the rest of the first year Gryffindors, for they seemed to travel in a pack, entered the Charms classroom, Rose was glad to see Matilda sitting at the front of the room. She was all alone, which was odd because there were other Ravenclaws there. Rose felt bad for not being able to be with Matilda for the rest of the day, but at least she could enjoy this class with her.

Rose turned towards Roxanne and Albus, stopping them before they found their seats. "I'm going to go sit at the front today," she told them.

They gave her two identically perplexed looks, but then eventually Albus shrugged and Rose's two cousins took their seats near the back of the room. Rose smiled at them in thanks and went to the front of the room to sit with Matilda.

Before sitting down, she decided to make her presence known. "Hey," she said as she dropped her books on the desk beside Matilda and sat down in the chair. Matilda didn't say anything at first and it felt awkward. May be she didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. Rose suddenly felt stupid for even bugging her. May be she should have known that there was a reason Matilda was at the front of the classroom, all alone, but Rose had merely thought she was too shy to sit with anyone else.

Eventually, though, Matilda responded. "Hey," she echoed back, not looking at Rose. She stared at the front of the room, but then suddenly opened her book and started to read.

Rose felt even more awkward than before, so she decided to set up her things while they waited for the professor. She put her textbooks at the upper left corner of her desk, while she put her ink bottle in the upper right. Rose placed her quill along the right side of her desk, far enough in that it wouldn't fall off.

Albus and Roxanne were probably wondering why Rose had even wanted to sit with Matilda if they never even spoke, but she would deal with them later in case they wanted to tease her. Before Rose had to think about 'later' too long, though, the Charms professor strode through the door. She was fairly young, apparently a new addition to Hogwarts in the past few years. With nearly black hair, she strode to the front of the classroom and stopped when she reached her desk. She had a bright smile for all of her newest students.

"Welcome to your first Charms class!" she exclaimed, sounding more excited than the tired eleven year olds sitting before her. "I'm Professor Clearwater and today we're going to be learning a spell. I don't know if you learned one in your first class or not," She ignored the shaking heads, "but we're going to be learning the Levitation Charm. Now, does anyone know how it works? I know this is your first day, but surely some of you did some summer reading." The professor looked around the room expectantly, waiting for a hand to shoot up from one of the desks.

Eventually, it did – a hand from Matilda, actually. Rose sat in shock, looking at her awkward friend as she spoke.

"Yes, Miss. Edgecombe?" Professor Clearwater encouraged.

Matilda cleared her throat before she spoke. "The Levitation Charm can be cast on an object, which makes it levitate, or float upwards."

"Very good, Miss. Edgecombe. Five points to Ravenclaw! Yes, that is exactly what this little charm does. Now, we're going to be practicing with feathers today, as they are quite light and easier to charm than something that would be heavier. Yes, weight always factors in to things you're charming. You'll find that you will be working with a lot of small objects this year – and not in just my class alone! Your feathers are on my desk in a box. Please come and get them when you're ready." Professor Clearwater then walked around her desk, revealing the box which had been sitting behind where she was standing, on the desk. She sat down in her chair, smiling at each of the students as they came up to get their feathers.

Rose got up quickly, so she wouldn't get stuck in her seat from the pile of students coming from the back of the room, and walked over to the teacher's desk in only a few paces. She took of the feathers out of the box and examined it as she returned to her seat. Matilda got one too, but quickly got to work. By the time Rose picked up her wand, Matilda had already tried the spell two times. But Rose suddenly realized that she didn't know what the spell was. She could hear Matilda mutter something under her breath, but Rose couldn't figure out exactly what she was saying. With a glance up at the professor, Rose gave her a questioning look, but all Professor Clearwater did was tap the book on her desk. Rose looked down at her own book and then back up at the professor, who was smiling with encouragement. Rose sighed. This meant she actually had to do work.

Putting the feather down, Rose opened up her Charms textbook. Matilda was probably far ahead of her by now and wouldn't help Rose, most likely, but Rose would eventually get through this class before meeting up with her cousins once more. Turning past the Table of Contents and the Acknowledgements, Rose finally got to the first chapter. She was lucky that the first spell was the Levitation Charm, but may be the professor was following the book. Either way, it made it a lot easier for Rose.

As she read through the first page and then the second, Rose couldn't find the incantation anywhere. She then started to skim through the pages of the chapter, looking for any sign of a spell. Finally, on page five, she say the incantation, clear as rain. _Wingardium Leviosa. _Well, that seemed easy enough for Rose. Closing her book and putting it at the upper left hand corner of her desk again, Rose picked up her wand. She cleared her throat as she pointed her wand at the feather. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she said, but nothing happened. Disappointment coursed through her, but it was expected. Matilda hadn't even gotten it right yet. Suddenly, though, Matilda turned towards Rose.

"You're doing it wrong," she said.

_I've just started! _Rose thought, but she decided not to rudely outburst at Matilda, even if Matilda wasn't being very nice to her. "What am I doing wrong?" she asked.

"You don't just _point _your wand at the object." Matilda shook her head as if the proper way was obvious.

"Then what do I do?"

Matilda took Rose's hand and made a circle and then a swift, flicking movement after the circle was completed. She did this a couple more times before realization flooded Rose's face. Matilda was actually trying to _help _her.

"Ah… Thanks, Matilda," Rose said.

Matilda didn't say anything else to Rose, but instead turned to face the front again, intent on making her feather float.

"Um, Matilda?"

Matilda turned to Rose again, this time more reluctantly than before. "Yes?"

"How do you know all this?"

Matilda merely tapped the book in front of her with her forefinger, just like the professor had done. "Summer reading." Then, she turned towards her feather again and started to practice the spell once more.

"Ah," Rose said. She turned towards her feather as well. That blasted summer reading. Did everyone read before getting to Hogwarts? Rose's mother tried to force her to read some books, but Rose just faked it every time her mother entered her bedroom to check.

Rose mocked the wand movement Matilda had taught her as she said the spell over and over again, making the last flicking movement directly at the feather. Nothing happened each time, which was frustrating. Rose thought magic was easier than this. Wasn't she a witch, after all? Why was it so easy for her parents and her older cousins to do magic? Rose wondered if it was this hard for them in their first Charms class at Hogwarts, but that only distracted her mind from doing the spell properly. Before Rose got too frustrated, though, the professor was standing at the front of the classroom. Rose hadn't noticed her get up from her seat behind her desk, but she supposed that she was too concentrated on the feather to notice.

"Class is dismissed," she announced. "I'll see you all on Wednesday!" Professor Clearwater smiled at all of her students as they got up to leave, but then she quickly added, "Don't forget to read the first chapter!" Satisfied that most of her students had heard her, at least, she walked around her desk again and took her seat once more, awaiting the next batch of hopeful witches and wizards.

Rose quickly gathered up her things and, without another look at Matilda, she joined her cousins once more, who were waiting for her outside the Charms classroom. "Let's go," she said to them simply, not wanting to explain anything about Matilda.

They obliged and walked with her to their next class, History of Magic. Rose wasn't looking forward to it at all, but may be she would be able to see Trevor there, at least. He had seemed more social than Matilda at the boats and Rose hoped that she could be friends with him, even if Matilda decided to be awkward most of the time.


	4. Chapter 4

_Only if you'll take me with you, wherever you go. _

After History of Magic class, which consisted of a long overview of what they would be learning that year – which only ensured Rose that it would be completely boring – Rose headed down to the Great Hall with her cousins and other classmates. When they got there, most of the school was already eating lunch. Being first years, they weren't entirely sure of how to get everywhere yet, but Rose knew that they would get better at it as time went on.

When they arrived at Gryffindor table, most of the seats were taken, but Rose managed to squeeze in between Roxanne and Alex Cunningham. Alex had been the first person sorted, but other than seeing him the night before, Rose hadn't talked to him.

"Hey, Alex," Rose greeted with a smile as she took a piece of bread.

Rose had caught him in the middle of eating his lunch and Alex looked to be quite hungry. He didn't even stop eating to greet Rose back.

Rose turned around to look for Trevor. May be she could go visit him at the Hufflepuff table and see if they had any classes together in the afternoon. However, when she turned around, it wasn't Trevor's eyes she met. Rose wasn't intentionally looking at the Slytherin table, but when someone was staring at her, it was hard not to see them. Yet again, with that mysterious smile, Tristan Parker was looking at Rose from across the room. When he realized that she was finally looking back at him, he gave her a short wave and then turned to his friends once again.

Rose turned around and continued eating her food again, not quite paying attention to everything around her or what she was really doing. She was in shock that Tristan was still accepting he fact that he knew her. She thought that he didn't want to talk to her again after the train and after she got sorted into Gryffindor… Well, it didn't take a genius to see that Tristan's friends weren't too keen on Gryffindors or Weasleys. But for some reason, Tristan was different. It didn't matter anyway, though, Rose concluded. When would they ever see each other anyway? They were in separate years and houses and unless luck worked in their favour, Rose would probably only get to wave to him at lunch anyway. Yes, a nice acquaintance. That was all Tristan was and all he ever could be. Friends… No. Friendship just wasn't an option.

"Rose…" Roxanne waved her hand in front of Rose's face, almost touching her nose, trying to force her to come back to reality. "Are you okay?"

Rose suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and blinked her eyes to focus on what was in front of her. She instantly leaned back, nearly falling out of her chair, at the shock of how close Roxanne's hand was to her face.

"Good. You're back." Roxanne grinned. "We're going to Herbology now. You coming?"

Rose looked down at her food. She had barely eaten, but it would do until dinner. "Yeah, coming." Rose stood up, picked up her small bag and swung it over her left shoulder. She then followed her cousins outside the Great Hall, not even daring to look back at Tristan.

When Rose, Roxanne and Albus arrived at Herbology, there were a few students there, but the greenhouse wasn't full yet. The professor was standing at the front of the room, chatting with a couple of the first years. Rose and her cousins found a table near the back and waited for the class to start, but then Rose found someone she had forgotten she was looking for. Without another thought, she walked over to Trevor and tapped him on the shoulder. He had been one of the first years talking to the Herbology professor.

"Hey, Trevor. How's your first day been?" Rose asked him.

"Hey, Rose! It's been great. How about your's?" Trevor grinned. Rose was glad that his day was going well and that he made some friends too. But suddenly, Rose realized that she hadn't made many friends. She had been travelling to and from her classes with her cousins all day. The only time she had talked to anyone else was at lunch with Alex.

"It's been good. What did you have this morning?" Small talk was always the best option.

"We had Potions with the Ravenclaws and then History of Magic and Charms with the Slytherins." Trevor let out a small groan at the memory of the classes the Hufflepuffs had to share with the Slytherins. Clearly, he didn't have too much fun.

"Well hopefully you don't have to deal with them again today." Rose grinned encouragingly at Trevor and he grinned back.

"Nope. After this, it's just Potions with the Ravenclaws." His spirits seemed lifted and it was just in time. The professor decided to start, so Rose quickly waved goodbye to Trevor and found her seat beside Roxanne.

"Welcome to Herbology," he announced. "I'm Professor Longbottom and I'll be your Herbology professor for this year." The professor smiled at the class, hoping that they would all love Herbology as much as he did. He could remember when he was a first year, but that was quite a long time ago. Now he was teaching his friends' children, hoping that they would all enjoy Herbology. He knew that they all probably wouldn't, as even most of his friends hadn't enjoyed the subject at school, but Neville would try to make it interesting for his newest students.

Professor Longbottom continued on, explaining the rules of Herbology class. Rose yawned widely. After having History of Magic before lunch and now dealing with plants… It was too tiring for her. Rose had got caught up in the excitement of being at Hogwarts and learning magic all morning to realize just how tired she was, but now her fatigue was catching up on her.

Class dragged on almost as long as History of Magic had. The professor was animated, unlike Professor Binns the ghost, but he just couldn't manage to hold Rose's attention. Albus seemed fairly interested, but not as much as Trevor. Trevor was absolutely captivated by everything the professor said and looked very excited to be there. Rose wondered if he was like that during History of Magic in the morning with the Slytherins.

Rose's thoughts drifted from Trevor to Tristan and then back to what class she had next. Rose wanted to take out her schedule, but she knew that Roxanne would tell her which class they had next after Herbology was over. But for some reason, the time for them to leave never came.

"When's class over?" Rose whispered to Roxanne.

"We have double Herbology, Rose." Roxanne giggled at her cousin's lack of knowledge of their schedule.

"Oh." Rose faced the front again with a sigh.

Herbology ended up feeling longer than History of Magic, but it was only because the professor didn't think it was a smart idea to start some hands on work in the first lesson.

"We won't have enough time to do what I wanted us to do today, so I'll let you all go a few minutes early. I'll see you all on Wednesday!"

"Finally," Rose muttered under her breath as she stood up and collected her things. She quickly waved at Trevor as she left the greenhouses with Roxanne and Albus. There was only one more class until her day was over – Defense Against the Dark Arts. Rose couldn't wait until it was over, so she could go back to the common room and relax in one of the comfortable sofas. Rose could also do with just collapsing on her bed, but she knew that she probably wouldn't make it up the stairs once she got to her dorm. However, first she had to get through Defense Against the Dark Arts… with the Slytherins. Rose hoped that it would be as uneventful as it had been in the morning during Transfiguration, but she somehow doubted it, by the way Trevor wasn't too impressed having classes with them earlier.


	5. Chapter 5

_They can lock us up in different cells, but I'll always feel you close to my heart. _

_Just one more class. Just one more class, _Rose told herself as she walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts with her cousins and the rest of the first year Gryffindors. They only had to go through one more hour with the Slytherins and Rose hoped that it would be as uneventful as History of Magic had been in the morning. Of course, she doubted that anything could be as boring as that class had been, but Rose could only hope.

When they entered the classroom, Rose looked around the room. It was chaos. The Slytherins had decided to take up the back seats, so the Gryffindors were forced to stay in the front few rows. The students who were already there, all Slytherins, were throwing pieces of parchment and other things around the room. Where was the professor? Rose wondered, but she didn't have to wonder a second longer. Right after Rose passed the Slytherins and found a seat in the second row of desks beside Roxanne and Alex, the professor decided to finally enter his own classroom.

With a slight limp, the professor walked over to his desk and sat down. The air around him was that of importance and the Slytherins got a sense of extreme punishment if they weren't to settle down, so they instantly found their seats. It was silent for a few moments as everyone waited for the professor to speak. He didn't. Everything felt tense, even for the Slytherins who didn't seem to care about respecting anything – or at least that was how it seemed they were when Rose had first entered the room.

Rose was just about to whisper to Roxanne, asking about the professor, when he finally spoke. "Good afternoon, everyone. I'm professor Hodge," he said, sounding quite bored to be there. He didn't sound delighted to see his newest students – not like the other professors Rose had in the morning or after lunch. "I take it you're going to want this done as quickly as I do, so let's get on with it." Rose was surprised by his need to get the class over with. Weren't professors supposed to _like _teaching?

He got up and walked around to the front of his desk. Rose wondered how he got that limp, but she supposed that it wasn't nice of her to be thinking about such things. So what if he had a limp? It wasn't in her rights to even care about that. "I'm not going to bore you with all my classroom rules. Yes, come on time. Yes, do your homework. But that should be common sense for you all. I bet you got that all five times today already, so just know that my class will be like the rest in the natural ways. However…" the professor paused before continuing. "This class will be more… _hands on_ than you may have previously expected." Rose had no idea what she had expected from Defense Against the Dark Arts, only that they would be learning spells, but she barely had time to think about this, as the professor continued. "There's no sense in _learning _about spells and not practicing them. I'm here to teach you how to _defend_ yourselves. From what, I don't know, but this is my job, as much as it is yours to learn what I teach you." He really did seem like he didn't want to be there at all, but may be he would let them go early – At least, that was what Rose had hoped. "Today, we're going to start with the most simple spell – Yes, we _are _starting today. I am going to attempt to curse every one of you, while you will try to conjure the Shield Charm." Looking around at all the students, the professor added, "Don't worry, I'll give you time to practice." He sighed, looking like he wished that he hadn't given that liberty to the first years. "Now, pair off and go and practice your spell." With an airy wave of his hand, he limped back to the seat behind his desk. "Go on," he said once he got there and saw that none of the students had done what he had asked.

Rose looked from Roxanne to Alex, wondering who to be with. "You go with Albus, Rox." It would be good to get out and talk with someone who wasn't one of her cousins, Rose decided.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, just go and practice." Rose grinned at Roxanne in encouragement and then turned to Alex. "Want to be my partner?"

"Of course." Alex smiled at Rose before they got up and walked into the aisle. Some of the students were on the outskirts of the classroom, while a few others were practicing in the aisle between the two sections of desks.

"Uh… How do we do this?" Rose asked him.

"Oh, it's easy." Alex grinned again. Rose doubted how it could be easy, as she couldn't even do the Levitation Charm in the morning, but may be Alex just meant that it was easy _in theory. _Either way, though, Rose didn't want to get embarrassed and get cursed by the professor.

"Show me, then."

"Okay." Alex cleared his throat as he raised his wand in front of himself. "_Protego,_" he said, as clearly as he could. Nothing happened except a slumping of his shoulders in disappointment of the failed spell. He turned to Rose, forcing a smile. "Your turn."

"Okay…" Rose also rose her wand in front of her chest and pointed it straight out in front of her. "_Protego!_" she exclaimed. Nothing happened for Rose, just like it hadn't for Alex.

Both of them sighed at once. "Let's keep practicing," Alex suggested. At will, they both did just that. However, after the tenth time, Rose was getting tired of doing the failed spell over and over again.

"May be we're doing something wrong," she suggested. Looking around, she saw that only a few students were managing to do the spell correctly, which comforted Rose slightly, but what were they doing right that Alex and herself were doing wrong? As Alex kept practicing, Rose watched one of the Slytherin students, who seemed to be able to conjure a Shield Charm – whether it was right or not, Rose wasn't sure. Rose narrowed her eyes in concentration as she inclined her head, watching the girl move. She did something funny with her wrist, so Rose tried it, hoping that it would work. "_Protego,_" she said once again. This time, it did work. Something – not clearly visible by any colour – came out of her wand. It was more of a force field, no matter how weak it was. Rose could feel it in front of her more than she could see it by the naked eye, but she was proud none-the-less.

Alex gasped when he saw that Rose had performed it correctly. "What did you do differently?"

"Er…" Rose didn't quite know how to answer that one. "I watched her," she said as she tilted her head back at the Slytherin girl.

"Oh… Bianca."

At the mention of her name, the blonde girl arrived behind Rose and Alex with her hands on her hips. "What are you talking about me for?" she accused.

"What? We weren't talking about you," Rose said instantly. It was a lie, but she didn't want any trouble.

"Uh huh. I heard you! Don't think that I'm deaf or something." The girl rolled her eyes. "I know my own name." Bianca's voice had a high pitched annoyance to it that Rose couldn't stand to hear and her hair was bright enough to blind her, but Rose tried not to hold that against her.

"We wouldn't think that of you," Rose said kindly. _Though I'm sure if she had to hear herself all day, she __**could **__go deaf. _Rose suppressed a chuckle at this thought, but it came out in a small smirk.

Bianca furrowed her brow at this, deciding that Rose was completely lying. "Hmph!" she said as she turned away and stomped away, back to her Slytherin partner.

Rose and Alex shrugged at each other, wondering what was wrong with the girl. She was very touchy. Just then, though, before they could have another go at the spell, the professor was standing at the front of the room again, in front of his desk, just like before. "I think you've had long enough to practice. Please line up so we can practice this spell."

Before Rose knew what had happened, she felt a strong shove against her back, forcing her to the front of the line. Everyone else lined up behind her. Alex was probably stuck somewhere in the middle, but when Rose looked behind her, all she could see was a smirking Bianca at the back of the line – her hair was too noticeable not to see and the dirty look she flashed Rose told her that it was Bianca who had shoved her.

"Well, Miss Weasley, it looks like you're first," the professor said, bringing Rose's attention back on him. Rose gulped, not liking the look of things. She hoped that Bianca's wand movement wouldn't fail her now. As she stepped forward, all she could hear was Bianca's giggling from the back of the room. Couldn't she just keep quiet? "Now, when I count to three, I'm going to shoot a curse at you." Professor Hodge then looked up, addressing the rest of the class. "Just know that this would _never_ happen in the real world, but it is your first day and I don't want the school nurse giving me heck this early on in the year. We'll leave that 'til next week." The professor waited for a bit of laughter at his joke, but there was none. Clearing his throat, Professor Hodge rolled his eyes and gave a little sigh. "Okay. One, two, three."

As he finished saying 'three', Rose started on her spell, assuming that Professor Hodge was probably a lot quicker than she or any of the other first year students were. "_Protego!_" she exclaimed. Rose was right in thinking that she did it at the correct time, for when her Shield Charm was finally complete, Professor Hodge had already sent his spell towards her. The spell bounced off the Shield Charm and hit the side wall. It didn't do any damage to the wall, which gave the rest of the students hope that it wouldn't do any damage to them if they were to fail in doing the spell properly.

"Very good, Miss. Weasley," Professor Hodge said, not sounding very impressed at all. "Two house points to Gryffindor." Rose thought that two points wasn't very much for what she had just done – since Professor Clearwater had given five points to Matilda for merely answering a question correctly – but she wasn't going to argue with Professor Hodge. Instead, she quickly moved to the back of the line.

The rest of the students faced the professor, some of them not succeeding in making the Shield Charm work properly. Either it was too weak to deflect the curse, or some students weren't able to make it at all. However, only about fifteen minutes later, Rose was at the front of the line again. She was glad when Professor Hodge said it was time for them to go and that there wouldn't be a second round of practice on this day. Rose sighed in relief as she went to go and collect her books. When she left the room with Roxanne, Albus and Alex, Bianca was waiting for her outside the door. Rose and her friends stopped dead in their tracks, wondering what Bianca wanted – She was blocking their path.

"What do you want, Bianca?" Rose said with a sigh. She didn't want to have made an enemy this soon, but it looked like becoming friends with the Slytherin girl was out of the option now.

"Oh, I just wanted to let you know that you'd better think twice about trying to trick me again. I know what you're like – all of you," she said, addressing the rest of Rose's friends. "And I'm not going to forget it." With a flip of her blonde hair, Bianca stalked off in the direction of the marble staircase. She was probably going down to the Slytherin common room, which would work out well for Rose. If they just slowed down and didn't go to the marble staircase too quickly, they would probably miss her, as they were going up and Bianca was going down.

"What's wrong with her?" Albus asked.

"I honestly have no idea," Rose said, completely honestly. She really didn't know what was _wrong _with Bianca. Clearly she had over reacted about the whole thing. Really, there was no _thing _to over react about, but apparently Bianca decided that there was and that she would hold a grudge against Rose for it. Rose sighed as they continued their journey to the Gryffindor common room. She had hoped to be able to relax with her friends, but Rose knew that Bianca would probably be consuming her thoughts all night.

As they walked down the hall, Roxanne, Albus and Alex were consumed in conversation about their first classes and how to get everywhere tomorrow. They would be walking all together, most likely, so Rose knew she didn't have to worry about directions. As long as Roxanne got it right, Rose could follow, and she would eventually learn it for herself.

When they reached the marble staircase, Rose was met by a familiar sight. It was both comforting and shocking. Tristan Parker was leaning on the railing of the bottom of the staircase with that annoying yet charming smile of his. Rose's voice suddenly felt dry, like she didn't have the ability for speech anymore, but she managed to tell her cousins and newest friend that she would meet them upstairs later.

"You sure?" Roxanne asked, worried for Rose after the Bianca incident.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Okay, we'll see you later, then," Alex said as the three of them passed Tristan and walked up the stairs, in deep conversation once more.

"So, how did your first day of classes go?" Tristan asked Rose, his grin not fading, even slightly.

"They were… interesting." _To put it bluntly, _Rose added in her head.

"So I've heard." Tristan chuckled.

"Heard?"

"It's hard not to hear her when she's storming down the hall, ranting your name."

"Ah… Bianca. Was I really that terrible?"

"I wouldn't know." Tristan laughed again. "But you must've done something to offend her. I've never seen someone so angry after the first day of class."

Rose wanted to say that Tristan really wasn't that much older than her, but she didn't. Instead, she spoke another bit of truth. "I just want this day to end." She sighed.

"I'm with you on that one. Well, I'd better be getting back. Else Tommy'd come looking for me again." Tristan rolled his eyes with a laugh. "I'll see you later." Tristan waved to Rose, and she waved back, as he flashed her a smile that left her thinking about him once more.

Bianca wouldn't be able to plague Rose's mind on this night – Tristan would be taking up that spot in Rose's thoughts. How someone could be in the same house as Bianca and yet be so nice was beyond Rose, but she still tried to figure out how Tristan and Bianca could be so different, all the way back up to the Gryffindor common room. Even when Rose got up to the common room and watched Alex attempt to beat Fred at Wizarding Chess, Rose couldn't stop comparing the two Slytherins. She was glad that everyone was too distracted by the game between Alex and Fred, for Rose probably wouldn't have been able to tell anyone what she was really thinking about. Even as she ascended to her dorm, Rose still couldn't figure out why Tristan was so nice, but by that time, her thoughts had evolved. Was he nice all the time, or was he just nice to her? Or was it Bianca who was messed up? Was every Slytherin nasty like her or hateful like Tommy was on the train? Rose had almost no way of knowing, but she hoped that she could figure it out soon – Or else she might drive herself crazy, trying to figure it out.


	6. Chapter 6

_They'll never understand us. Not one bit. _

The next morning at breakfast, Rose felt a little in a daze. How different Bianca and Tristan were was plaguing her mind still, and it had plagued her dreams all night as well. She knew that she was probably over thinking all of this and that it barely even mattered, but it did matter to her.

As Rose slumped into her seat at the Gryffindor table, Albus had to shake her shoulder to get her to focus properly. "Hey, Rose. Awake yet?" he laughed. When Rose finally focused on everyone around her, she saw that it wasn't just Albus laughing. It seemed that everyone got a little chuckle out of half-awake Rose Weasley.

However, what they didn't know was that it wasn't just that she was tired. She was in fact tired, but that wasn't why she was in such a daze.

"Are you okay?" Rose suddenly heard someone ask her. Instantly whipping her head towards the voice, she saw that it belonged to Alex, who was apparently sitting beside her. Rose was a little shocked and realized that she really was in too much of a daze to not even notice that Alex was sitting on the other side of her. Didn't Roxanne usually sit there? Looking to her other side, though, Rose saw that Roxanne was sitting on the other side of Albus, having quite a conversation with him. They didn't pay Rose any more attention at all. Turning towards Alex again, though, she quickly answered him.

"Erm, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Rose knew that her morning daze probably didn't make her sound too convincing, but she hoped that Alex wasn't getting overly worried about her for no reason. There really was nothing to worry about at all. Eventually Rose would figure out why Bianca was so mean and why Tristan was always so nice to her. It still baffled her, but she knew that she would figure it out eventually.

"Well, last night after class when you were talking to Tristan…" Alex looked down at his food, not quite wanting to meet Rose's gaze.

However, she only leaned in a little closer to him, trying to stare him down so he would look at her again. "Yes?"

"Well, erm… Why were you talking to him?"

"He's a friend. Just a little chit chat." _Chit chat? _It sounded so stupid to Rose, but what was Alex going on about?

"Chit chat?" Alex shook his head at the stupid and airy comment and then finally looked up at Rose again. Rose tried to make it seem like it was nothing, but he wasn't convinced. "Are you sure it's wise to be talking to him?"

Now Rose was getting a little curious, but also more confused. She still didn't understand what Alex meant. "Why wouldn't I? Alex, you aren't really making any sense…"

"Well he _is _a Slytherin and all, just like Bianca. Just thought I'd warn you and all." Alex then turned to his food again and started moving it around his plate with his fork with no actual progress in eating his breakfast.

"So what if he's a Slytherin? Does that mean I can't even talk to him?" Rose's Weasley side was acting up again and she knew it. Sometimes she would realize that and then control her emotions and settle down, but she didn't even want to go to the place where she realized that she was being short tempered.

"Um, no. Sorry I ever mentioned it, Rose. It's up to you, really, anyway." Alex continued to move his food around his plate and it wasn't until Rose turned towards her own food that he started to eat.

As Rose ate her own food, she glanced over at Alex and then at Albus and Roxanne talking at random intervals. She didn't want to seem like she was spying on their conversation, even though she knew that she was welcome to jump in, but she wondered if they shared the same views as Alex. Rose always thought that Alex was such a nice fellow and that he was very friendly, but obviously she was mistaken. He was just friendly to her and her cousins, not anyone else from other houses. Well, he was probably nice to the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs who were in their classes, but Rose now saw a different side of Alex that she never saw before. She knew that she was brought up (especially by her father) to not like most Slytherins and people who acted like the majority of them. When she had seen Tristan on the train and saw who his friends were, she naturally assumed that he was like one of 'them', but now she knew that he wasn't. How could Alex be so judgmental about someone he didn't even know?

But then, it hit her. She had been that way too. How could she condemn Alex when she had acted the same way, all her life, all the way until she met Tristan and saw how kind he could be. Well, _kind _wasn't quite the word, but he treated her civilly and seemed to care about her. Oh, who was she kidding? He probably thought the same things she did. She was a _Gryffindor, _no better than a Hufflepuff in any Slytherin's eyes. It was ridiculous, but also true. That must have been why he wanted to leave her compartment so quickly when one of his other friends spotted them there together. _He's probably just being nice to me so he doesn't feel bad, _Rose thought, but she couldn't figure out why he would feel bad in the first place. It still didn't make much sense to her and now with Alex's views in the picture, it complicated the finding of the conclusion Rose was looking for.

That day, Rose made sure to sit between Roxanne and Albus in every class. She didn't know if Alex found that to be obvious or not, but she didn't care. He probably got the message after the first few classes that she wasn't too happy with him (to put it lightly), but Rose continued sitting between her two cousins in all of her classes. She even ignored Matilda in Charms in order to be between her 'bodyguards'. They weren't really bodyguards, but they guarded her from having to sit beside Alex, at least, and may be having to talk to him.

At the end of the day when they were in the common room, Rose, Albus and Roxanne were sitting by the fireplace on the floor, doing their readings and starting on their homework. Rose was a lot faster than her two cousins, but that was just because she liked to get things done quickly. Whether they were done perfectly was another matter entirely, but it didn't really matter anyway because it was their end of the year exams that counted the most and they were months away. Since Rose was nearly finished, though, she thought that it was a good time for a break, so she decided to use the opportunity to bring up the dreaded subject. She had talked to Alex about it and wondered what her cousins would have said, but not it was her chance to see if Alex was alone in his opinion or if Rose was.

"So, erm…" Rose began, hoping to get their attention. Both her cousins dropped their quills and looked up at her, expecting her to continue, but she didn't for a moment.

"Yes, Rose?" Roxanne prompted.

"Well, I was just wondering if you two both think that we should only be friends with Gryffindors or, erm, people like us, or… something…" Rose trailed off, not quite sure how to put it. How could she politely say 'Do you hate Slytherins too?' without sounding overly blunt?

"What are you getting at, Rose? Is this what's been bugging you? Of course I don't thin--"

"I do," a familiar voice said as he came to sit down at one of the couches just above the three first years. It was James, Albus' older brother.

"And why's that?" Rose huffed. She didn't want James' opinion, really. She wanted to know what her two cousins, two of her closest friends, thought about the question.

"Well, do you really think they're going to be nice to you? Even if they are, it's probably just a trick." James shrugged. "If you stick with your own, you'll be perfectly fine, so why even bother trying to mingle with the enemy?"

James was being very black and white in Rose's opinion, but when he left and she turned her gaze to Roxanne and Albus, they looked to be in agreement.

"He's right. It's just easier this way," Albus agreed.

Roxanne, however, seemed to notice why Rose had brought up the question and chose her words more carefully. "I know that you may think he's nice now, but what happens when the rest of his house gets to him? Or even when his true Slytherin self surfaces? He won't be so nice then. You know, Rose, the Sorting Hat doesn't decide on your house based on how you are at the moment of the Sorting. It can tell how you'll be like in the future. You know that from your mum, for one thing." Roxanne was repeating what Rose already knew, but she knew that it was good for her to hear it again from another voice than her own in her head. Rose nodded in agreement and slouched into the couch behind her that she had been leaning on. There really was no hope, was there?

_Rose was walking along one of the corridors of Hogwarts, trying to find her class, but she was completely lost. Suddenly, though, she spotted a figure ahead. In fear of being late and getting house points docked after only being at Hogwarts for less than a week, Rose ran up towards the figure. Upon reaching them, she had to tap the figure out the shoulder. When the person finally turned around, she saw that it was Tristan. _

"_Ah, Tristan! Do you know where the History of Magic classroom is? I can't seem to find it. I swear it was right here…" Rose turned around herself and then faced Tristan once more. His face was stone cold and it didn't look like he was going to answer her question. "Tristan? Tristan? Are you even listening to me?" And with that, Tristan walked away from Rose. It seemed as if he had vanished, but he had merely taken long, quick strides down the dimly lit hallway. _

Rose opened her eyes suddenly, not wanting to be in her slumber anymore. It was still night, but she couldn't go back to sleep now. She didn't want to return to that dream or even have one that was similar to it. The thought of Tristan being as cold as ice was not a friendly one and it was not something Rose wanted to think about. The way he had been with her in her dream was exactly what James had said would happen. Rose had to keep reminding herself that it was just a dream, though, and that Tristan would never be like that with her. He was a friend. Well… sort of. Rose wasn't even sure what it was between them. Were they merely good acquaintances, or did Tristan consider Rose to be a friend? He probably had much better friends in Slytherin who he talked to a lot more as well. No, they were probably just good acquaintances and that would probably soon fade anyway, just like James had said. It annoyed Rose how much she knew James would be right in the long run. But for now, she knew that James wasn't right yet and that Tristan was still being nice to her. She just had to get past the dream and not use it against him the next time she saw him, which was something that would be hard for her to do. It seemed so real, even though she knew that the present Tristan would never do such a thing, and it almost felt like Tristan _had _given her the cold shoulder.


End file.
